Adding Comments to a Worksheet

These are useful for explanatory notes, to emphasize key points, etc. However, unlike text boxes which are placed directly on the worksheet, comments are attached to specific cells. Although comments look like an electronic version of post-it note, they only appear when you point to a cell that contains a comment (unless you change the setting to have them always visible).

Adding a Comment

• select the cell to which a comment needs to be attached
• select Insert Comment
  • or right-mouse click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Macintosh OS8.x or later) and select [Insert Comment] from the popup menu
• a comment is immediately placed on the sheet
  • an arrow will point to the cell
  • a red triangle will appear in the upper-right hand corner of the cell
  • your name, or whatever name is set as the user of the Excel copy you are using, will appear in the box
• type the text of your comment in the box (you may delete the name of course)
• click outside of the comment box
  • the comment box will close, the red triangle will be visible in the upper-right hand corner of the cell indicating that a comment has been attached to that cell

To Edit the Text of Existing Comments

• click in the cell containing the comment to be edited
• select Insert Edit Comment
  • or right-mouse click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Macintosh OS8.x or later) and select [Edit Comment] from the popup menu
• edit the text of the note
• click outside of the comment box
• the comment box will close, the red triangle will be visible in the upper-right hand corner of the cell indicating that a comment has been attached to that cell

Formatting the Appearance of Existing Comments

to reposition the comment note

• click and drag on the edge of the selected comment but not on one of the handles
• release when the comment has been move to the desired position

to resize the comment note

• point to one of the handles on the selected comment and stretch to resize

to format the text, select borders, etc.

• double-click on the edge of the selected comment but not on one of the handles
• format the comment as desired from the Format Comment Dialog Box that will appear
• click [OK]

To Delete a Comment

• click in the cell containing the comment to be deleted
• right-mouse click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Macintosh OS8.x or later)
• select [Delete Comment]
• of course, you may also use the Clear command to delete Comments!

Go Back

Copyright©2003
last updated August 13, 2003